My weekend was full of food. Uber delicous food! Saturday night P and I had a dinner date at Cafe Rustica, one of our favorite places in town. We hadn't been there post-wedding and were well overdue for some tasty treats. The staff is always so attentive and knows a lot about what they are sending out of the kitchen so don't be scared to try something new. I have an aversion to such things as balsamic vinagerette (don't even get me started!) and salmon (I know, I know), and this is one place where I am not afraid to ask what ingredients are being used in my tasty meal that evening without pissing off the waitstaff. Our menu that evening consisted of...
sharing a potato latke topped with smoked salmon and green onions swirled into sour cream, this also had a little side salad on the plate lightly drizzled with sherry vinaigrette. (I will put on the record that I could barely taste the salmon, but what I did taste was delicous!)
P had the braised pork shoulder topped with a horseradish sauce and accompanied by roasted potatoes and the same side salad. (I tasted it and very much approved)
I opted for one of the specials that evening. I ordered the sirloin steak that came topped with lump crabmeat and a red pepper cream sauce. I also had the perfectly roasted potatoes on the side in addition to roasted zucchini and squash and the staple side salad. Now I won't lie, I LOVE to eat, and I think I have a pretty good palette, but I can be picky about some things. There are those things mentioned above but in addition to those I also despise vinegar and edibles that are derived from vinegar. I also am very funny about the preparation of raw meat. That being said I was enjoying my meal so much that I decided to taste the salad before asking what dressing du jour was accompanying it. I am very pleased that I took this route. The sherry vinaigrette was so light and tasty and I just know that I would have never tried it had I asked before eating. On another note, I asked for my steak medium. When it arrived I was so excited that I quickly cut into it and began chowing down. It wasn't until P mention how raw it was (in real life I would call it rare to med. rare) that I stopped to actually look at the meat. As shocked as P was that I was eating something that could very well still be mooing I continued to ravage my meal. The beef was so good and so juicy that I just may be converted to eating extremely raw meat on a regular basis!
For dessert we stuck to an old favorite of ours at Rustica. Grilled pound cake with fresh lemon curd and fresh berries. Words cannot describe. Grilled poundcake dude. Fresh lemon curd. Need I say more? Totally delightful!
And of course, as we were looking back on all the delicousness that we had just consumed we were also finishing up our adult beverages. Rustica has quite a good (but minimal) assortment of specialty beers and a lovely wine list. I recommend a Rose. I usually never choose a Rose but Michelle at Rustica has turned a new leaf for me.
To sum it all up, just go to Cafe Rustica. It is small (watch your head going to the bathroom if you are anywhere near 6' tall) but quaint. If you are going by yourself or just one other person they will most likely make you sit at the bar, this is a good thing! It allows you to interact with the staff and get the scoop on things to come. They are a very fresh and seasonal resturant in that they make their own sausage and use very fresh produce, ect. They are also open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and having eaten all 3 courses there before I can tell you with certainty that they excel at all of them. But most importantly, they are affordable. I will leave you with the ending thought that my oh-so-delicous steak special only set me back $16!
Cafe Rustica
414 E. Main St.
Richmond, Va
225-8811 ( I don't know if they take reservations but it could be worth a call, they are a booming new place in town, without being pretentious)
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